To put the world in order,
we must first put the nation in order;
to put the nation in order,
we must put the family in order;
to put the family in order,
we must cultivate our personal life;
and to cultivate our personal life,
we must first set our hearts right.
~ Confucius

It has occurred to me lately that we are all standing at a very important crossroads and have an important choice to make.

Do you believe the world is going to hell?

That the despondent economy, bickering, divisive politicians and unfair distribution of wealth are leading to a massive uprising and economic catastrophe? That the morals and hard work ethic are far gone?

Do you feel a deep sense of sorrow for this generation? You have begun stockpiling: food, guns, love and feel a deep sense of fear and foreboding when you think of the future.

Things are Not Going Well, and you see the signs everywhere.

Or do you understand that we are more than just these bodies that we inhabit? That we are more than the problems that we have been given: faulty hearts, struggling relationships, empty checkbooks and careers gone wrong. We have all been put here for a purpose.

As Albert Einstein would say, we are energy—pure and simple.

And that which you put your energy towards, grows. That which you take your energy from, dies. Which is why kids, gardens and homes thrive when they have attention/care and perish or become overgrown with undesirables when they do not.

I am learning how to put my energy towards things that help me grow into the person I want to become and how to take it away from the things that rob me of life: anxiety, worry, hatred, anger.

It is not a denial of evil. I know evil is out there.

I know that while I sit securely in the safety of my home with a pantry full of food, and where my biggest problem of the day is usually how to manage four children, all over the world, people are dying from hunger, from lack of access to clean water, people are hung in trees or their fingers are chopped off for as little a reason as which God they choose to worship, or whether they live on this side of the river or that or whether or not they show their hair.

That as we bemoan our inability to purchase a new car or afford the latest iPhone, there are people who don’t have access to medicine or school or any basic freedoms.

And my heart hurts for them.

But up until recently, I was not really sure that I could do anything about this.

I have changed my mind.

I believe that I, along with you, hold the power to change the world.

And the way that we do this, is simple:

Choose love. In every single decision you make, choose love.

I can hear a large part of my family snickering as I write that, but those who do just really do not understand where we are.

And it is up to the rest of us, with the patience of a parent showing a child, to show them.

“During a transition in culture,” I said, “old certainties and views begin to break down and evolve into new traditions, causing anxiety in the short run. At the same time that some people are waking up and sustaining an inner connection of love that sustains them and allows them to evolve more rapidly, others feel as though everything is changing too fast and that we’re losing our way. They become fearful and more controlling to try to raise their energy. This polarization of fear can be very dangerous because fearful people can rationalize extreme measures. ~ James Redfield, The Tenth Insight

There’s something going on, have you noticed? With social media, people like me and you, are connecting. And learning that we aren’t so different, are we?

We’re learning that our natural state, one of light, love and joy can be cultivated. And we’re learning how to do that.

Something concrete that you can do, if you are not already doing, is meditate.

Each day, try to find twenty minutes to silence your mind and every so often, try to do this in a group as well as the energy is exponentially multiplied and so much more powerful when we come together.

Did you know that there have been scientific studies of transcendental meditation (a form of meditation where you repeat a mantra) where one percent of a population coming together in a community to meditate for peace can actually result in a significant drop in violence and crime?

Here is one that was done in Washington D.C.:

This was a carefully controlled scientific demonstration carried out between June 7 and July 30, 1993. The study involved a coherence group of TM-Sidhas who increased in number from 800 to a maximum of 4,000 over the trial. TM crime prevention project in Washington showed a maximum 23.3 percent drop in violent crime. Before the project the Chief of Police had exclaimed that the only thing that would create a 20 percent drop in crime would be 20 inches of snow. The TM crime prevention project took place during blistering summer weather. 1. 

And what about prayer? Mitchell Krucoff, MD, a cardiovascular specialist at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. says:

“[Today,] we’re seeing systematic investigations—clinical research—as well as position statements from professional societies supporting this research, federal subsidies from the NIH, funding from Congress,” he tells WebMD. “All of these studies, all the reports, are remarkably consistent in suggesting the potential measurable health benefit associated with prayer or spiritual interventions.” 2.

The mind is Powerful.

When you go to church or synagogue or whatever religion you practice if you practice one, when they say the prayers, truly listen and pay attention. Instead of sitting there thinking of lunch and bills and the person sitting in front of you, listen to what they are saying. And send Love.

Or do what I have started doing, as a busy mother of four children, I wish I had the time and budget for yogic retreats or classes, but I do not. Instead, every couple of weeks on the new and full moons which are wonderful natural markers of cycles and seasons, a handful of my friends come over. We set intentions for the upcoming month.

We share.

We pause, connect and reflect.

We meditate.

We heal our hearts.

And if enough people did this, I truly believe that we could heal the world as well.

It’s worth trying, isn’t it?

 

Sources: 

1. http://www.worldpeacegroup.org/washington_crime_study.html

2. http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/can-prayer-heal

 

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Editor: Emily Bartran

Photo: Flickr